The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1887-09-28
PICKED UP At THE ED OF THE
TRACK!
How the Great Work is Being Done at the
Extreme Front--The' Manitoba in the
Teton Valley

resentatiye had an opportunity Sunday
Of visiting the end of the track. The re-
porter was invited (by himself) to take a
Geo. B. Jones, the gentlemanly and agree
able grading contractor who has just fin
ished the last gap IN the Manitoba grade
at Black Horse lake. Mr.. Jones expert
ence as a reinsman and fast traveller
along railroad grade is too well known
to need explanation. When he starts to
go anywhere he generally ''gets there" II
the blackboard holds together. Any one
who is not first-class sailor as we'll as an
experience broncho rider has no business
in blackboard with Mr.. Jones The
team he drives is expected to go just
where he points it as fast as their legs
can carry them, so long as the vehicle re-
mains on one, two or four wheels In or
der to give US a chance to see the grade
all the way along Mr.. Jones left the trav-
eled road and took the grade at the head
Of Government coulee. For two miles
down this only steep grade on the whole
line Of the Manitoba, which is l16 feet to
the mile, we went at a rattling pace; when
gap, where bridge was to be put IN,
was reached the team was turned at right
angles to the grade and jumped off, gen
orally hitting the common level OF the
country anywhere from five to fifteen feet
below, as the case might be, but fortu-
nately always right side up; when the Te-
ton was reached and the crossings had to
be made there was no time lost in hunt
ing fords; the team dived in and either
Waded or swan as occasion required,
and when the opposite bank was reached
the team climbed up some way, even It it
was as steep as the wall of house. For
tunately for us the blackboard staid with
the horses, and we staid with the buck
board. The only thing we do not remena-
Der TO nave CLIMBED was a tree, but that
was because there we're none standing in
the way.
The first thing we saw TO indicate the
presence of railroad builders was a pile
driver which was in position on
top Of the hill near the site Of the Benton
depot grounds, where a small culvert is to
be put m There we met teams loaded
with round pile timbers of different
lengths as required at the front; next
came wagon loads of stringers and other
bridge timbers. Those teams are always
kept travelling from the construction
train, and usually deliver their loads from
five to twelve miles in advance of the iron.
All along the grade at different points we
saw pile drivers at work on the different
small bridges and culverts.
Within couple of miles of the end of
the track we came upon teams delivering
ties on the road bed. This business is SO
managed that the exact number of ties
required are dropped just where needed,
within easy reach of the men who are re-
quired to put them in proper position.
The teams seldom get more than from one
to three miles ahead Of the iron, but they
are always able to keep their work up.
The first gang of laborers we encoun-
tered consisted of twelve men laying ties
in position and two men whose sole duty
it was to stretch small rope by which
the ties were placed in a straight line.
The next gang was the advance track
layers with ''trollies,' small cars hauled
by two horses each. The trollies hold 40
rails Of thirty feet each, capable of laying
600 feet Of track-nine loads being suf
fcent to lay over mile Of track. The
horses that haul the trollies generally
come to the front on fast walk, trot or a
gallop as occasion may require, and travel
each side of the road bed between the
edge Of the ties and the edge of the grade.
They pull the trollies by a single rope with
a hook in the end, which is attached or
detached in a second by two men belong
ing to the iron handlers gang who sit on
the front OF the car for that purpose
The iron handlers gang consists Of "a
men who load and unload the trollies, of
which there are seven in all. The iron is
brought as near to the front as the regu-
lar train with the iron cars can come, |
where it is tumbled off right at edge of
the track in piles of convenient size The |
train then backs out OF the way and the
trollies are brought into requisition The
rails way 600 pounds each. Eighteen
men stand in line, pick up rail and toss
it on the trolly; in few moments the re
quired forty rails are loaded, the horses,
each ridden by boy, are hooked on and I
away it goes to the very end Of the last
laid rail. Here ten men, five on each /
side, push the rails forward over iron roll
ers, set in the sides of the trollies for that
purpose, and rail on each side drops into
it, proper position. Gaugers standing at
each end place their gauges on the rails.
They are adjusted to exact proper posi-
tions, and the trolly moves forward, two
more rails are dropped and adjusted, and